


Lord of the Geese

by the_delusional_fan



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Childhood, First Meetings, Geese, Gen, M/M, Reon-centric, kind of crack but not really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-30
Updated: 2015-10-30
Packaged: 2018-04-29 02:32:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5112962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_delusional_fan/pseuds/the_delusional_fan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Reon meets Ushijima for the first time after being attacked by a goose.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lord of the Geese

**Author's Note:**

> According to by mother, I was attacked by a goose when I was a toddler. This is kind of inspired by that.
> 
> Happy birthday Reon!

At the fine age of five, Reon is more than ready to explore the world on his own. After confirming that his mother is still napping under the shade of the giant oak, Reon goes off to investigate the expanse of the park.

It's early afternoon and the summer sunlight shines brightly through the canopy of the trees, illuminating patches of lush grass. Reon twirls in spots of light pretending to be one of those cool pop artists he sees dancing on TV.

He works himself up into a sweat singing the lyrics of  _Single Ladies_  while attempting to mimic its choreography with the grace of a drunken man. His peculiar efforts combined with the merciless summer heat bring his performance to an end. Exhausted, Reon falls onto his back and sprawls out under the shade of the trees to cool himself down. Lying stationary for a while isn't enough for him to stop sweating though. After a while, the heat and stickiness compel the young boy to wander in search for one of the park’s lakes to cool off in.

It doesn’t take long for him to spot one. Kicking his shoes off, Reon dashes towards the banks of the like hoping to dip his feet in the water and finally shake off the heat. The water is more rewarding than he thought it would be. He wriggles his feet around enjoying the cool sensation of the water flowing around his ankles.

Thinking back to his brief time as a pop star, he hums the tune of Beyoncé's song once more while swinging his legs with the beat. A blaring honk in the distance suddenly interrupts his encore. Reon immediately looks onto the lake's horizon and spots a large flock of geese patrolling the waters.

Reon shivers the sight of the birds. He has been warned about them. They are the things of legends amongst his classmates. One had even bitten the fingers and stolen the sandwich of the toughest kid in his grade. He has nasty scar on his middle finger to attest for that.

Reon hastily pulls his legs out of the water and scrambles on to his feet to flee before the geese can reach him. However, the second he turns on his heel, he is met with face full of feathers and a strong beating wings. The goose gives a loud honk and Reon promptly falls onto his rear from shock. Other feathered fiends are drawn in by its cry and soon Reon is surrounded.  
  
It’s too late for escape now. The geese are upon him.  
  
He looks up at the geese around him, their elongated necks swaying menacingly, seeming to morph into an unholy singularity of white. Reon's ears ring from the cacophonic honking as their beaks snap open and close, revealing teeth along the insides of their mouths and tongues. It’s the most horrifying thing he has ever seen in his life.

He regrets ever going off on his own. His mother had warned him so many times not to leave her side. It’s the first time he’s ever disobeyed his mother directly and now he is going to be eaten alive for it. That wasn’t fair at all. A strangled sob escapes him and the geese honk louder. Reon can't find it in him to even cry out for help. He sits there, weeping, anticipating their fury.  
  
In his final moments, a boy with dark hair suddenly parts through the sea of feathers. His arrival seems to disperse the geese and they begin to meander away from from their target. Reon still feels threatened though. Even at a distance, the birds are showing an unsettling amount of interest towards him.

"Please help me," Reon manages to squeak.  
  
"From what?" The boy tilts his head slightly to the side and squints at the other.

Reon shivers and whether it’s from the presence of geese or the boy’s gaze, he is unsure. He’s also slightly puzzled now. This boy is completely unaware of the geese and their terrors.

"The gooses! They’re gonna eat me!"

"They're friendly,” the boy states, clearly confused.  
  
"Look."

The boy reaches up to stroke the neck of a nearby bird. Much to Reon's surprise, the creature doesn’t snap at him— instead, it bends its neck in submission and happily accepts the contact.  
  
"They can be your friends too,” he continues looking back at Reon.

Reon is in awe of the boy standing before him. Not even the strongest kids at school could scare off those winged beasts. This boy is definitely on a whole other level of strong.  
  
The boy reaches into his pocket and pulls out a handful of diced carrots. He stretches his arm out and furrows his brows, indicating that he wants the other to extend his hand. Reon looks at the hand skeptically before opening his palm. The boy neatly places the vegetable bits into Reon's hand then motions for him to offer it to the geese.

Fearing for the worst, Reon squeezes his eyes shut and cautiously lifts his arm in the general direction of the birds. Soon, he feels a slight ticklish sensation on his hand. He opens his eyes, slowly, and is surprised to find one of the geese gently pecking at the carrot bits.

Reon beams at the feared bird feeding from his palm and then at other boy who gives a small nod in return. Several other geese make their way over to Reon to feed as well.

He feels a bit overwhelmed, but Reon is glad that the birds are no longer trying to eat him. His hand is quickly emptied and the geese quickly disperse around the area again.

He feels a pair of eyes on him. The other boy is staring at him as if he’s expecting something from the other. Reon falls nervous under his intense gaze and searches for something to say.

Reon winds up settling with a simple, “That was really neat!”

The other boy nods and continues to stare. Reon realizes that he doesn’t know the name of this boy and he wonders if an introduction is what the other is waiting for.

He stands up, brushes himself off, and sticks his hand out.

"I'm Reon. What's your name?"

His parents had told him that shaking hands with someone was the polite thing to do, but the other boy seems baffled by the gesture.  
  
"Wakatoshi," he answers after a stretch of silence.

He delicately takes Reon's hand as if it's some kind of fragile treasure. His gentleness surprises Reon since he thought a tamer of geese would have some kind of death grip. He tightens his hold on the other's hand and he slightly tenses from the change in pressure.

"Nice to meet you, Wakatoshi!"

Reon gives a few firm shakes before releasing his grip. Wakatoshi appears slightly crestfallen from the sudden loss of contact.

"Thank you for letting me feed your gooses. You're a pretty cool guy."  
  
A slight blush rises on Wakatoshi's cheeks. People usually never ask for his name let alone call him 'cool'. In fact, he believes it's the first time anyone has ever done so. Those words make him feel a strange sensation in his chest and he can't bring himself to look the other in the eye anymore.

"You can play with them some more," Wakatoshi mumbles towards the ground.

Reon’s eyes light up. "Oh! That sounds like fun."

He eagerly accepts the invitation from his savior and now friend with a smile. Wakatoshi is taken aback by this of course as well. Most of the other children would have run away, begun crying, or called him a monster by this point. He's very pleased to have finally found someone who is giving him a chance.

Wakatoshi teaches Reon goose petting techniques in exchange for dancing lessons. He doesn't sing with Reon, but after an hour he's pretty in sync with the other's movements. Not that Reon was much of an expert to begin with. From a distance, it looks as if there are two old men wobbling around with too much sass. The geese surround them like an audience of sorts and are rewarded with grooming for enduring the performance. Reon's petting session goes poorly at first. He's nipped quite a bit, but Wakatoshi is there to reassure him that in due time, the geese will accept him as one of their own.

Eventually they do accept him, though only as someone second to Wakatoshi.

A few hours have passed; it's the early evening now and Wakatoshi is starting to wonder where his father has gone. He decides it's time to go. Glancing at Reon, who is humming to a goose in his embrace, Wakatoshi finds himself at a loss for words. He doesn't know to say goodbye to a friend since he has never been able to do so before. It takes some time for him to find something to say.

"I must go now," he says abruptly.

The humming stops and their eyes meet. Wakatoshi worries that he has offended his friend somehow. His fears are quickly forgotten when Reon shoos the goose off his lap and stands to smile at the other once more.

"See ya!" Reon exclaims, reaching his hand out to pat the other boy's head.

Wakatoshi's eyes widen and his shoulders stiffen. Flushing a bright crimson, he makes a weird grunting sound before turning away and awkwardly dashing off. Before Reon can call out to the boy, the geese spring to life and trail him vigorously.

The gaggle swarms behind strange boy leaving destruction in its wake. Fingers are bit, food is stolen, hair is ruined, and any traces of serenity are destroyed. Reon can't help but laugh at the bizarre chaos as the unofficial lord of the geese leads his army on, completely unaware of the damage he is causing.

In the middle of a bout of laughter, Reon sees a tall man approaching him. He gathers enough composure to inspect the man as he comes closer. His eyebrows are strikingly similar to Wakatoshi’s and he wonders if that’s his father. The man stops a few feet from Reon and calls out towards the hostile flock.

"Wakatoshi get away from those birds they'll hurt you!"

Reon is now convinced that this man is Wakatoshi’s father. He laughs at how only their eyebrows match and also at his son’s indifference to his call.

"Not again," the man groans under his breath.

He pays no attention to child beside him and hurries over to his son. The man tries to snatch him away from the swarm, but the geese bite at his arms until he pulls away. Wakatoshi is not doing much to cooperate either. He stares blankly at his father.

"Wakatoshi!"  
  
The geese lunge at the man flapping their wings aggressively.

"WAKATOSHIIIIII!!!"  
  
His final cry melds with the honks of the geese and he is engulfed in a flurry of white feathers.

Reon is in tears at this point from laughing so hard. He hardly notices another person approaching him from behind.

"Reon, where have you been?"

It's his mother. She seems pretty irritated, yet relieved. Reon collects himself once more before responding.

"I made friends with a boy by the lake. He had goose friends that I played with too.

“That’s nice sweetie. It looks like you had a good time with him. Let’s go.” She takes his hand in hers and ushers him away from the turbulent scene. He peeks over his shoulder one last time to catch a glimpse of his new friend and his flock.

His father is sprawled out on the ground covered in scratches and feathers. Wakatoshi sits at his side stroking a goose in his lap while the other geese strut around him like proud warriors.

Reon giggles once more.

He really hopes he can play with Wakatoshi again soon.

**Author's Note:**

> If you haven't seen videos of little kids dancing to Beyoncé yet, you really should. You'll have a good time I promise.


End file.
